Hello Pond5ers. Pondcasts will go into different ways of making money through putting videos onto the Pond5 website. Pond5 is the best stock footage site and allows beginners and pros to make money by making short 10 second clips and turning them into dollars. Start off for fun and turn it into a business. This site will explain how certain styles sell and how to use your own originality to sell clips you don't need to follow the crowd.
The only other problem is the state of my office it needs to look modern and shiny, where as it seems to look like a load of clobber stuck by a wall and this is it clean!
It also has a strench of gone off milk I don't understand this, how did this happen? I can't have a stinking office I shall get back to you with the modern shiny office it will make you so happy and me so much money! I'll be filming it and every shiny modern shot will make me hundreds of dollars.
I'm having trouble getting actors, I've emailed some models that I've found on the internet and I contacted the Reading University Drama society thinking they would reply to the promise of money but not a reply.
So what should I do to get actors, they don't need to really be good looking just human with acting chops.
Maybe Facebook but then means lots of hilarious replies that I can't be bothered with and all the wrong people answering.
I also need them available in the day time.
The kind of shots I am looking to film are in my office so your classic office shots. Office worker on phone office worker on iPad, comparing data on iPad and smart phone, buying stuff on their laptop. Whats of course vaguely interesting that the shots that sell are not the well thought out clips but the random ones that the actor comes up with.
A couple of years I had a good vaguely unemployed friend, now they're the best they turn up and do the hours and ones with a creative bent are the best cause they suggest themes you hadn't thought out, OK they suggest stupid ideas but a lot of the shots they suggested still sell.
Anyway I will continue to email models and see who replies. Any suggestions give me a bell.
First off I'd like to say I apologise for not writing/pondcasting or really anything for a while, but let me tell you right now that I intend to a blog post once every 3 years so get ready for the next one!
Of course I am joking but when ever I say I'm going to write a new blog post regularly I never do, so let's not put any pressure on me I give it a month for the next one.
It's hard to motivate yourself to make footage when you are never sure what footage is going to sell. But every time I get paid on Magic day (the 15th! of every month) I think of this money as pay for the next job, its not money from previous work, its being paid to go and do more work. You can treat it more like a normal job which for some people like me might make it easier to deal with.
Recent sales and news
I have now 426 clips up but it will be 500 with help from my latest shoot, I have not been a real harcore stock provider due to big video jobs coming up and slowing me down, even though I'm slow I have learned over the last 3 years a lot and I hope my shots are improving all the time.
Sales have been good recently perhaps with more stock going up all the time, I recently sold some stock from a shoot which we hired a room and used make up artist, a model and lighting. I suppose this was my greatest investment and I have been waiting to see whether it would sell but 6 months later a clip has. That doesn't sound great but as I always say these shots are an investment for the future, so far all shots since I started have have been selling still over the last three years so these shots I made six months ago should gradually make their money back (payment of actor) and make a profit
I think when I get to 500 clips I will be able to work out the formula for how much stock I need to create to be able to live off it. Last year I had 200 clips up and I have earned in 6 months more than I did for the whole of last year so there is a big increase every time you provide more quality stock!!
Right I'm off to add keywords and upload clips. I will leave you with a shot of Southern France from my holiday to relax you, so you can chill a little.. and one more thing.... Keeeeeeep stocking!
I went to BVE in Excel in London this is a broadcast and production technology event, along with seminars and presentations, it has exhibitors like Canon, Red camera, Sony and of course Pond5.
Steve & Gilles
I met up with Andy, Gilles and Steve from Pond5 at their stand. They talked to me about the new version 2 Pond5 website which is great, it has the new drag and drop capability which is really user friendly, don't forget the more user friendly the better it is for sales!
I met alot of production companies who were really interested in Pond5.
I think when you are a Pond5 Artist you forget how and why people buy your clips. Why does an obscure shot of a man biting his computer sell? I now believe I know; There are thousands of productions companies all over the world, and all of them have their specific niche. A video editor for a production company asked if we had shots of Africa, I of course knew that there would be many, there was more than 23,000, we then narrowed the search to African tribes I could then decrease the shots down to 413 clips which made it easier for him to find some really good HD clips. It's good when you know because of the sheer amount of artists on Pond5 you can guarantee a shot will be there for them.
There is a production company for everything and each one wants something specific, so if you imagine that companies from all over the world can buy clips from Pond5 you have a high chance that someone will buy yours.
A lot of production companies were very enthusiastic in fact they explained to me why Pond5 was so good; instead of having to go to Paris to film you can just put these clips together and you have a great news item or if you missed some shots when filming in London you could buy two or three clips to fill the gap, it could save the job!
Andy, Gilles and Steve were great fun and they explained to me alot about Pond5 and really motivated me as a Pond5er to keep on stocking, its really helpful to to talk to the people behind Pond5.
I also met Beucroft my first English Pond5er! I look forward to interviewing him in a coming pondcast.
Here is one of his shots that has sold 54 times!
I say hasta pronto and keeeeep stocking!
I have now an office which I am using as a studio and I have bought finally some lights they are called photoflex starlight kit I bought two
creative video website
I have never needed light too much having mainly worked outside, but the difference in quality is immense. Putting these things together is a bit of a bugger, its like putting up a tent, you don't expect that from an item you spend alot of money on to force metal rods to breaking point to fix them in place, but this is what is required, I dare say after a few good bends these things get more flexible. The instructions are appalling they look like they've been photocopied together by an 80s photocopier onto some card. Come on guys I spent money on this thing why the hell can't you spend a bit of money on the instructions.
It's ironic that a light that you use for videos has no video on setting it up. Apart from the bending of the rods everything is very logical and really does not require instruction(which is lucky) I can only assume they think you have bought some before.
Instructions- rubbish lights - good.
Also using Cannon 550d with a 50mm lens really makes these shots beautiful, I hired a nearby room and worked with the actress Jane Howard and Joyce Connor from Brides and Beauty. Joyce did some excellent work with Jane and the shots have come out looking 100 times better than my usual shots. The great thing about making stock footage is you learn so many new skills I have learned how to light and also to use a make up artist, something I had yet to consider. I should have about 400 clips up by the end of the month, I intend on getting 600 by June. That's double the 300 I started with this year. This should double the amount I earn, but withe very clip you make your skills improve so you are more likely to make more cash as you are always learning what sells. This is what I believe to be the key analyze your sales and go in the direction of your sales.
